Marco Castaldi, professor of chemical engineering at City College of New York, shared ideas about different ways to get more from our garbage. This discussion was part of the Nerd Nite Portland series, held at the Clinton Street Theater in Portland on June 3, 2014.

Video: Ed Humes at PSU

Edward Humes, author of Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash, shared insights about our consumption habits and better ways we can manage waste at a forum at Portland State University on July 10, 2014.

Video: Ed Humes at City Club

Edward Humes, author of Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash, shared insights about our consumption habits and better ways we can manage waste at a forum at City Club of Portland on July 11, 2014.

When it comes to managing waste, our region has a track record of success. We continue to recycle more, reduce the amount of waste we generate per person, and manage garbage safely to protect people and the environment. It's time to look ahead to make sure that we continue and improve upon this legacy.

The Solid Waste Roadmap is a long-term effort to examine and determine the best approaches for managing the waste. In the coming months, the Metro Council will make decisions about how to manage the region’s garbage and food scraps in the years ahead. Your involvement and ideas are important to help our region get more out of this resource we literally throw away.

Questions that will be considered

Over the long run, what should the region do with materials that aren’t reused, recycled or composted?

How can we keep more food out of the waste stream, achieve greater environmental and economic benefit from food scraps, and make sure we have the right facilities to handle them?

How can we choose our landfills wisely so our waste doesn’t create additional burdens on the environment or on nearby communities?

How can Metro South Transfer Station in Oregon City become an even better facility to serve its customers?

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News

The Metro Council is looking at ways to get more food out of the garbage. From how much goes to the landfill to how much gets collected, here’s a look at some key numbers related to food that gets tossed – and collected – in the Portland metropolitan area.

One in five Oregonians lacks reliable access to nutritious food. At the same time, food, much of which could still be consumed, accounts for nearly a fifth of all garbage in the greater Portland region.

Instead of scraping those onion peels and chicken bones into bins of garbage that end up in a landfill, the scraps at the Grapevine Cafe in Milwaukie go into separate bins, and from there, get turned into compost. It’s something more than 1,000 businesses in greater Portland do, and it’s something Metro Council would like to see more of.

Metro Councilors said Tuesday that they remain interested in finding ways to get more food scraps out of the Portland region's garbage, possibly including requirements that could be phased in over time.

Two visitors from the Regional Municipality of Durham led a discussion with the Metro Council about their experiences pursuing and starting up a waste-to-energy facility for dealing with the garbage collected from within their jurisdiction.

Whether your roots in the region run generations deep or you moved to Oregon last week, you have your own reasons for loving this place – and Metro wants to keep it that way. Help shape the future of the greater Portland region and discover tools, services and places that make life better today.